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There’s now less than a month left in the 89th Texas Legislative Session. So far, it’s been a rather disappointing one for conservatives, who are still waiting for the House of Representatives to act on top Republican priorities.
While the House has been able to push school choice through, other top priorities like banning the social transition of minors, strengthening medical freedom, and stepping up to secure the border have all stalled in the Republican-controlled House.
There are steps that many Republicans wanted the House to take in order to discourage illegal aliens from coming to Texas. Brandon Waltens with the Texas Scorecard said, "Issues like ending in-state tuition for illegal aliens—these are magnets that bring people in, not only into the country but to Texas specifically."
So where does the blame for this so far disappointing legislative session belong? Waltens says you can thank House leadership. He pointed specifically to "Speaker Dustin Burrows and his chairs, who have been slow all session long." He says you can see where they’ve delayed activity, which led to what we’re seeing now.
There is still some hope, however. Waltens says, "They’ve certainly been moving at a slow pace, and now we’re seeing the consequences of that. But there’s still a few weeks left; there’s still opportunity for them to move on these bills. But that window is getting much shorter."
There’s also the chance that if key GOP priorities don’t make it through before the end of the session, Governor Abbott could begin calling special sessions, as he did after the 88th session failed to move school choice.